


Winter Wonderland

by hexmaniacchoco



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Case Fic, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Music, Christmas Vacation, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 00:17:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13065174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hexmaniacchoco/pseuds/hexmaniacchoco
Summary: As the plane descended and he stared out the window at the palm trees and lush hills surrounding the airport, with Cas in the middle and his brother in the aisle seat passed out (with some assistance) on Cas’ shoulder, Sam thought back to how unexpectedly he’d learned of their Christmas travel plans.





	1. Mele Kalikimaka

As the plane descended and he stared out the window at the palm trees and lush hills surrounding the airport, with Cas in the middle and his brother in the aisle seat passed out (with some assistance) on Cas’ shoulder, Sam thought back to how unexpectedly he’d learned of their Christmas travel plans. 

* * *

  
“You up for vacation?” Dean asked loudly as he walked into the bunker’s kitchen.  
  
They’d gotten back yesterday from a pretty tough hunt, so Sam chuckled at what he figured was a joke. “Always.”  
  
“I’m serious.”  
  
Sam looked up from the sandwich he was making for lunch and lowered one eyebrow in confusion at his brother. “Wait-- for real? Vacation?” he almost laughed. “I mean, where, Dean? When do we even have time?”  
  
Dean ignored his brother’s skeptical tone, and with a pleased smile across his face, answered simply, “Hawaii. Christmas.”  
  
Sam’s eyebrows made a U-turn and were raised high in surprise, his head turned slightly down in question at what he’d heard, and his sandwich all but forgotten. When he failed to say anything, Dean took it as a cue to continue.  
  
“You know those stupid radio contests they have? Where you have to be the, the eight millionth caller or whatever to even get a shot at answering the question to win the prize?” he prompted, walking over to stand next to Sam.  
  
“Yeah?” Sam answered with a short, disbelieving laugh. “Aren’t those always like, for concert tickets, or like a car,  though?”  
  
Dean was beaming at him now. “Not this one. This one was for an all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii for not one, not two, but _three_ people, Sam. Well, guess who was the eight millionth caller AND answered their question about whether or not Zappa ever had a Christmas song correctly?”  
  
Sam found that the smile on his brother’s face and the cheer in his voice was quickly becoming contagious. He blinked and looked around for a bit, trying to find his words again. “That’s… that’s great, Dean. Really! But how long is the trip? Is it really fine to just leave things here? What if something comes up, like a case or something?”  
  
“Three days, and I don’t see why not,” Dean answered. “We deserve this, don’t you think, Sam? You know, a, a break? You, me, Cas--it’s just for three days. We arrive Christmas Eve, and fly back in the morning on the 27th.”  
  
“Wait wait wait, you’re telling me you’re actually going to _willingly_ get on a plane and fly there and back, Dean? You?” Sam teased. In the excitement over the news, the issue of Dean’s fear of flying had been glossed over until then. Dean’s smile faltered and he coughed a little.  
  
“I already asked Cas to help me with that,” he answered with almost enough confidence to cover the slight tremor in his voice. He spread his hands wide as he continued. “I don’t plan on being conscious for the entirety of either flight.”  
  
Sam just shook his head and laughed. “Well, congrats on winning, Dean. I can’t wait.”  
  
“Thanks, me either,” Dean replied. He took a bite out of a sandwich he suddenly had and started walking off. “Thanks for the sandwich!” Sam looked down to find the sandwich he’d been working on gone, his brother somehow having finished assembling it while they talked without Sam noticing at all. He glared at Dean’s back and his lips thinned for a brief moment, but they couldn’t avoid being pulled back into a grin as he anticipated the upcoming chance to truly relax for a few days. He chuckled and pulled out two more slices of bread, and started on another sandwich.


	2. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Checking into their room was a more difficult affair than the three of them had anticipated, mostly due to the fact that they couldn’t find it at first. Rather than one of the large family resorts that were scattered around the island, the radio station had deigned to reserve them rooms in a smaller inn just outside town. They were given the explanation that fewer guests would ensure a more relaxing vacation, but really it was probably cheaper, or else all the fancier-looking resorts had been booked full. Regardless, it seemed like a nice little place from the outside, with a light-colored stone and reddish-brown wood exterior, large windows, and a small tropical garden visible from the parking lot. “Poi Inn” was displayed in fancy cursive script on a weathered wooden sign above the lobby entrance. Behind the building and a myriad of palm trees was the ocean, the blue of its horizon blending nearly seamlessly into the cloudless sky.    
  
The three of them piled out of the rented Corolla and headed inside to check in. “So far so good,” Sam commented, watching with great interest as a brightly colored bird flew above them.    
  
“Woulda' been better if we had Baby, but this place doesn’t look too bad,” Dean replied. He slowed to wait for Cas, who had stopped to admire a flowering tree. “C’mon Cas, I’m sure there’ll be more later. Let’s go get checked in.”    
  
Cas lingered a bit longer, and then finally turned and headed to where Dean was waiting. He returned the smile Dean gave him. “Sorry. I was curious if it was the flower responsible for the aroma that’s been in the air since we landed.”    
  
“Was it?” Dean asked.    
  
“It’s one of them, yes.”    
  
“Guys, c’mon,” Sam called out to them. “I’d say ‘get a room’ but that’s kinda what you’re both holding up right now.”    
  
Dean rolled his eyes as he and Cas caught up to Sam and the three of them entered the lobby. “The room ain’t going anywhere Sammy,” he replied. “Isn’t the whole point of this to relax?” Sam just sighed lightly and rang for the lobby attendant.    
  
Checking in went much more smoothly, and they were each handed a copy of the room’s keycard. After a short trip down a few halls, they reached their room and unlocked the door, stepping inside. The room that greeted them was bright and pleasant upon first glance. The walls had a light colored wooden wainscoting, with a wallpaper that was a light blue with a repeating light green palm tree pattern. The curtains over the windows had gentle wave patterns over them. Much of the furniture seemed to be white or tan, and the covers of the two double beds were a seafoam blue. 

However, as more of the room was taken in, it became clear that someone had decided to add a little holiday gaudiness to its design. And by a little, that meant they weren’t entirely sure how they’d noticed it second. The dishtowels in the kitchen were each a bright red and a bright green with reindeer wearing poinsettia leis on them. Green and red garland with colorful twinkling lights intertwined in it lined the walls near the ceiling, circling the entire room. Snow-covered palm-tree ornaments hung from it as well. In the corner of the room was a surprisingly large Christmas tree covered in silver and gold garland, more twinkling colorful lights, and a variety of tropical flowers among the equally varied tropical ornaments. The poinsettia, hibiscus, and bird of paradise blossoms made it harder to make out the ornaments from a distance. The three of them couldn’t help but move closer to see what they were, but they knew the moment they were close enough to see the santa merman topping the tree. Sure enough, they looked down to see a whole assortment of mermaid and mermen ornaments. They weren’t the only ornaments; the tree also had tiny seashells hanging from its branches. Conches, scallops, sand dollars, starfish, cockles, cowries, and more dotted the tree along with pastel colored fish ornaments, many of which were pink hammerheads with white polka dot patterns on them. But now that they saw the mer ornaments, they could hardly notice the others.    
  
If they had just been like the well-dressed Santa sitting at the top of the tree, they probably could have called them tacky but cute and moved on with their day. However, each one sported its own individual design--some following a Christmas theme and some very clearly not. Sam picked up one of them, a mermaid with glittery auburn hair pulled into a ponytail with an equally glittery red tail that extended just up to her chest in the appearance of a santa cocktail dress and holding a pink martini.    
  
“Guys, check this out,” he laughed, holding it up for them to see.    
  
Neither of them responded right away, each absorbed in looking at the mer ornament closest to them. Dean let go of the buff delivery merman with the golden tail and tan shirt opened up to reveal his bronze abs. “Dude I know. Check this one out,” he finally answered, plucking a mermaid off the tree and handing it to his brother. She had sparkly red hair, but her tail and dress were a sparkly green trimmed with red, and she wore a green elf hat with a shiny red poof at the tip and trimmed in white. Dean elbowed Cas lightly and was going to point out a long-haired brunette mermaid with a deep blue tail dress but which also had a doctor’s coat on and a stethoscope dangling around her shoulders, and was going to make a Dr. Sexy comment. But then he spotted the one Cas was currently twirling around in his fingers--a shirtless cupid merman with a well-toned muscular chest and gleaming red tail, complete with a bow as curly as his short blonde hair and fluffy white wings. So Dean elbowed Sam instead.    
  
“Hey Sam, that one that Cas has-- look almost like someone we know?”    
  
Cas handed it to him, and Sam furrowed his brows as he looked it over. “I mean, I guess it sort of looks like that one cherub we thought was killing his targets, if he’d been a little more in shape.”    
  
“This isn’t an accurate depiction of a cupid,” Cas commented simply.    
  
“So they’re all chubby naked dudes?” Dean asked.    
  
Cas gave him a look. “Neither was the form that cupid manifested in,” he said.  Dean smirked at him.    
  
Sam looked between them, and a small rumble from his stomach told him he should probably interrupt them before anything got started.    
  
“Well, let’s get started on unpacking some of our things so we can go get an early lunch,” he suggested, hanging the two mermaid ornaments back onto the tree and stepping past Dean and Cas toward his bag.    
  
Dean hung the cupid merman back on the tree above a pair of white-jacketed mermen wearing green leis and with their white tails twirled together. “Sounds good,” he said, patting Cas on the shoulder as he walked past to get to his own stuff. “I was checking out the brochure waiting at the rental place, and there’s supposed to be a good restaurant on the beach a short walk away. Why don’t we check it out?”   
  


* * *

  
The restaurant apparently was good because it was a lot more crowded than they expected. They had to wait ten minutes for a seat to open, and the spot happened to be a two seater at the back near the kitchen. An extra seat was brought out to accommodate their party of three. They each picked up a menu and flipped through it.    
  
“Huh. A lot of their specialties are a mix of Cajun and Hawaiian,” Sam noted. He tapped his finger on the menu. “Like this appetizer--the gumbo shrimp and pork manapuas,” he read.    
  
“Yeah well I’m gonna order this thing called a ‘Loco Moco’. I’m getting the classic with the egg and hamburger and brown gravy, but they got a cajun style one too.”    
  
“I saw that,” Sam replied. He studied his menu a bit more. “Actually I think I’m going to try one.”    
  
“The cajun loco moco?” Cas asked.    
  
“No. Well--yeah, one of the cajun inspired dishes, but the poke. The one with the alligator”    
  
Dean squinted at Sam across his menu. “Yeah, but did  you see how much that cost, Sam? For a bunch of raw fish?”    
  
Sam just shrugged. “We’re on vacation, so I’m gonna eat like it. Besides, the price is only jacked up because of the cost to import the gator meat. But where else am I going to find a dish like this?”    
  
“Well enjoy your sushi salad,” Dean mocked.    
  
“Thanks, I will.” Sam turned to Cas. “What are you gonna get, Cas?” he asked.    
  
“I’m not sure, seeing as I won’t really be able to taste it properly. Maybe the pork lau lau,” Cas answered, not taking his eyes off the menu.    
  
As if on cue from the decisions having been spoken aloud, a waiter appeared at the side of their table, asking for their orders. They each placed theirs, and he was on his way. The food arrived surprisingly fast, interrupting a conversation about hula dancers that was quickly forgotten in favor of enjoying the delicious meals. It had almost gotten back to the dancers, when suddenly a loud and familiar voice got their attention.    
  
“Dean! Buddy! Is that really you?”    
  
Dean saw Sam’s eyes widen as his brother looked past his shoulder. “Sam, is that who I think it is?”    
  
Cas confirmed it with some measure of wonder while Sam continued staring.    
  
“Benny…”    
  
Dean spun around in his seat and was immediately picked up in an enthusiastic hug which he returned just as happily despite the momentum causing them to sway and lose balance a bit. Benny smiled over to Sam and Cas, still seated and very confused. “Good to see your brother and the angel again, too,” Benny warmly added.    
  
Sam’s mouth moved silently for a bit until he managed to ask, “Benny… It’s great that you’re back, but… how?”    
  
Dean shot a quick glare at his brother. “Why’re you always looking gift horses in the mouth, Sam?”    
  
Benny just chuckled. “It sure is good to see you again.” He turned to Sam to address the question. “How about I let you all finish your meals, and afterward we’ll head to my place to discuss it.”    
  
Dean had objected, wanting Benny to stay for lunch, but it turned out the restaurant was his explained he had to get some work done before taking the rest of the day off to catch up with them. The rest of the meal was spent in a mix of excited tension and confusion as they waited for him to return to their table. Eventually he did, and as promised the group headed over to the small house next door that Benny lived in.    
  
It was a nice little place, and Dean couldn’t help smiling around the living room admiring it, happy that not only had Benny somehow found his way out of purgatory, but that he’d managed to find a life for himself somewhere. Memories of their last conversation together sprung up, when Dean asked Benny to help Sam find his way out of purgatory. His tone had been amiable as always, but there’d been a heaviness to it that made Dean’s heart sink even further. This time though, there was no such burden or strain when he spoke, and Dean couldn’t be happier to hear that.    
  
Benny brought them some drinks and sat on the couch across from them. “So I bet you’ve all been just dyin’ to hear how it is that I’m running a restaurant in Hawaii instead of fighting my way across purgatory,” he said with a touch of amusement and taking a sip of his drink. He didn’t wait for an answer before beginning his explanation. “Well first I got away from the leviathans that attacked Sam and I at the portal. It wasn’t easy, especially since the last time I fought them I had you and Castiel.” He nodded at Dean and Cas respectively.    
  
Sam looked down, a guilty expression crossing his face. “Listen, Benny… I’m sorry I didn’t trust you earlier,” he told him. “I’m sorry I had Martin keep tabs on you and ruined the life you had.”    
  
“Well, Sam,” Benny laughed, “There ain’t nothing can be done about that now. But I appreciate the apology. Besides, I got a new life here, and it’s not so bad.” Sam nodded in understanding.    
  
Cas gestured for Benny to continue. “So,” he said, “how  _ did _ you manage to get here? It took many angels to get me out, and I doubt they’d have reason to do the same for you.”    
  
“See that’s the thing,” Benny answered. “I can’t see a reason they’d save me either. But quite some time after you left, a fella callin’ himself ‘Chuck’ just showed up clear out of the blue.”    
  
Sam, Dean, and Cas all exchanged brief looks as Benny continued, “He startled me pretty good when I was resting by a tree, so naturally I was on the defensive. But he told me he was there to get me out. When I asked him how, he told me not to worry about it too much. Next thing I know we’re on a beach not too far from here. He told me he brought me to Hawaii and said I should start a new life here on these islands. He rambled about some other stuff too, but I wasn’t listening. Or rather, I don’t think I’d’a been able to hear him. Not over the sound of my own heart beatin’ again. That was one of the loveliest sounds I’ve heard my whole life, both living and undead.”    
  
Sam and Dean nearly spit out their drinks in surprise. “Wait-- your tellin’ us he cured you? Made you human again on top of bringing you back?” Dean sputtered.    
  
“That’s right, brother,” Benny confirmed with a wide smile. “Now from the looks on your faces, it seems you three know this Chuck. Care to tell me who he is and how he managed to pull all this off?”    
  
“Well, you see…” Sam started.    
  


* * *

  
After they explained Chuck’s identity and summed up the events with him and Amara, Benny was astonished, and more than a little moved, at the circumstances of his escape. “Well I’ll be… Maybe I shoulda been paying attention to him better after all then,” he wondered.    
  
Dean laughed at that. “No, don’t worry about it,” he said. “After getting to know him, it probably wasn’t anything actually important.”    
  
“Dean,” Cas chided.    
  
“Come on, Cas, you know it’s true.”    
  
“I don’t know,” Benny replied. “I think I’d still have liked to hear it. But oh well. Nothing to be done about that now, either.”    
  
After a few quiet moments, Benny told them that he had taken the whole day off to show them around, not to sit around in his living room. So, he took them to several places, some touristy and some local, and he saved the beach he was brought to for the end of the day, as the sun was setting.    
  
“So this is the spot, huh?” Dean commented. The sun was low over the horizon, and the golds and reds and oranges radiating across the sky were mirrored in the sparkling water below. He whistled low. “It’s beautiful.”    
  
They stood in appreciation for a few moments, before Cas finally broke the silence. “There’s an unusual sound in the air…”    
  
Benny looked at him with uncertainty. “What? You mean like the seagulls?”    
  
Cas gave him an impatient look in reply before gesturing for the three of them to remain quiet. It was unnecessary however, as they were already straining their ears in an attempt to hear whatever it was that Cas was hearing. “Whatever it is, it’s getting closer,” he told them quietly.    
  
“What is--?” Sam began to ask, but was shushed. It didn’t take long for him to get an answer though, when they were suddenly they could make out a faint buzzing or humming noise coming from somewhere across the ocean.    
  
“You hear it now?” Cas asked, and the others nodded. The four of them looked in confusion at each other. Before long, the noise grew to sound as if they were all in a Youtube video during the South African World Cup and someone was very fond of the vuvuzela overlay. It wasn’t deafening in volume like the true voices of the angels, but it was still uncomfortably noisy, causing them to cover their ears anyway. After only about a minute though, it ceased, with only fast fading reverberations in the sky remaining.    
  
“Well that’s certainly unusual,” Benny commented, his voice tinged with unease. “I don’t suppose any of you know what that was?”    
  
Having absolutely no idea what it was, Sam and Dean looked at Cas, and Benny joined them. Cas shook his head. “I’m not sure. But while I can’t be certain, it didn’t seem to have any immediate effect on anything.”    
  
“We should probably check around town before heading back to the inn just to be safe,” Sam suggested. They all agreed to this, and with Benny accompanying them, set about surveying the area to check for anything that seemed it could be a result of the noise they’d heard. After a little under two hours, however, with Benny ascertaining that nothing looked out of the ordinary, they stopped for the night, Benny heading home and Sam, Dean, and Cas returning to their room at the inn.    
  
“I’ll continue looking around while you both get some sleep,” Cas offered once they were in the room.    
  
“Alright, we’ll join you in the morning. Wake us if anything weird happens,” Dean agreed.    
  
Sam gave Cas a thumbs up and he headed toward the door. “Good luck, Cas.”    
  
With that, Cas left the room. Sam and Dean each got ready for bed. Dean pulled the covers back on his and froze when he saw what was on his pillow.    
  
“The hell...?” he wondered out loud. He picked up the shirtless cowboy merman riding an unfortunately placed horse stick, and the note underneath. He read it out loud. “It says ‘We value our guests, so this holiday season we decided to give each one a unique gift to take home with them. Please enjoy this randomly selected christmas ornament, and have happy holidays during your stay at our inn’...”    
  
Sam walked over to Dean and laughed when he saw his ornament. “Dude, it totally suits you.”    
  
“Shut up.”    
  
“I got a cool Santa one at least.”    
  
“Yeah, with a green jacket. What’s that about?” Dean mocked.    
  
Sam was about to refute Dean when he looked across the bed. “Hey, you got two on yours. I only had one.”    
  
Dean looked to where Sam was pointing. “It’s probably Cas’,” he noted. He reached over to the other pillow and picked up the ornament. “Dude, who picked these?” 


	3. Let It Snow

Dean shivered and pulled the blankets up tighter around himself. He hadn’t thought Hawaii could get so cold. The last time he felt this frozen was when he and Sam couldn’t find a place to stay one night while on a case up in Nebraska in January, so they had to huddle up and sleep in the Impala. He felt something placed over him which immediately brought a welcome warmth, and he was almost too grateful to question it. Almost. He blinked his eyes open and looked down to see Cas’ trench coat draped over him. “Cas…?” he asked blearily.    
  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, Dean.”    
  
Dean thought about sitting up, but decided to stay under the warmth of his covers and Cas’ coat a little longer. He didn’t need to be upright to carry out a conversation. Sleep still in his voice, he asked, “You find anything?”    
  
“No,” Cas answered, and then after a short pause added, “Well, nothing I could find the source of…”    
  
Dean furrowed his brows together. “What do you mean?”    
  
“At first nothing happened. The temperature dropped steadily throughout the night, but it seemed like a normal occurrence so I didn’t question it at first. Not until it continued to grow colder beyond what it should reach in this climate. Then around midnight it began to snow and--”    
  
“Whoa, hold on a second--you’re saying it started  _ snowing _ ?” Dean interrupted. It was then that he’d woken up enough to notice the small visible puffs of breath in the air as he spoke.    
  
“Yes, Dean.”    
  
“In Hawaii?”    
  
“Yes, Dean.”    
  
“...You sure…?”    
  
Cas gestured impatiently to the window. “You’re more than welcome to verify it.”    
  
Dean most definitely did not want to leave the warmth of the bed to verify it. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said. After a moment, “Thanks for uh, giving me your coat, also.”    
  
“Don’t mention it.”    
  
Sam finally began to stir at the conversation, and how he managed to sleep through the icy cold Dean couldn’t understand. “Morning guys,” he greeted sleepily. He sat up and stretched, then immediately looked like he regretted the decision as he pulled the blankets up around him once more. He looked around the room and shuddered. “Why’s it so cold in here?”    
  
“Cas said it snowed,” Dean answered.    
  
“What? In Hawaii? Really?”    
  
Dean made an attempt to gesture toward the windows but the moment he lifted his arm and the cold air rushed in, he brought it back down and shivered. It wasn’t necessary anyway as Sam got up, holding the blankets around himself, and moved over to look out the window. “Dude, there’s like two feet of snow outside!” he exclaimed.    
  
With a heavy sigh, Dean crawled out of the bed, clinging to his own blankets and Cas’ coat as he made his way next to Sam. He frowned at the glittering white landscape that stretched all the way to the inn’s private section of beach. “You guys think maybe this has something to do with that noise we heard yesterday?”    
  
Sam and Cas agreed. “Let’s get dressed and head over to Benny’s then, and get started on this case.”    
  
Dean groaned. “So much for a relaxing tropical vacation...” he muttered.    
  


* * *

  
Dean was thankful that there were still heaters in Hawaii. By the time they’d gotten dressed and showered, the inn had turned theirs on. Many more people than they’d expected were outside as they made their way to Benny’s house, some just staring in amazement at the snow, and some playing in it. They knew Benny would be at home since he’d told them the restaurant would be closed for the next two days and was only open a few hours after he’d taken off the day before. His house was also already heated by the time they arrived. He brought them all a cup of hot coffee to further warm up with.    
  
“Whoever was dreaming of a white Christmas should have just gone to Alaska or something,” Benny said, taking a drink of his coffee.    
  
“Amen to that,” Dean agreed.    
  
They were all looking through their phones for any local news stories that stood out and gave them a place to start investigating, but so far everything had been surprise, joy, and concern over the snow. It wasn’t too long though before Sam got their attention, having found something. “So get this,” he started, pausing only to take a sip of his coffee, “Some kids were making out behind a closed Denny’s on the other side of the island, said they saw something kinda weird a little after midnight.”    
  
“They were behind a Denny’s at midnight, Sam. That could mean anything,” Dean contested.    
  
Sam rolled his eyes. “Our kind of weird, Dean. Not just that kind,” he clarified.    
  
“What did they see?” Cas asked.    
  
“Well, one of them is claiming that they saw some kind of figure, kind of creepy looking and dancing for some reason,” Sam summarized the report in the article. “It was reported to the police, but a search of the scene found some pot they left behind and so it was called off on the grounds the kids were probably high. It’s not considered related to snow, but--”    
  
“But that’s just too much of a coincidence for it not to be,” Benny finished for him. Sam nodded.    
  
“Then we should start by asking them more about what they saw,” Cas said. It only took a few minutes to find out the address of the apartment he rented with his girlfriend, which was only a block away from the Denny’s. 


	4. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

“You don’t look like FBI…” Roy Henderson stated warily as he stood in his doorway. His girlfriend stood just behind him looking no less cautious.    
  
“Yeah, well, we weren’t until all this interrupted our vacation and we were told to investigate,” Dean told him, putting his badge away. It was mostly true.    
  
“We’d just like to ask you a few questions about what you saw last night,” Cas added.    
  
When neither Roy or his girlfriend looked any more willing to talk to them, Sam stepped forward. “Look, we… saw the article in the news about what you saw, and we really think it might have ties into another case we’re working. We can’t do anything about the snow, so could you just… tell us what else you might have seen? We aren’t here to judge you for  _ anything _ ,” he tried, raising his brows and tilting his head forward to emphasize ‘anything’.    
  
It took a few moments, but reluctantly, Roy opened the door and invited them inside. They were seated in the living room in some fold-out chairs around a small table. Roy offered them some coffee, and while he went to make it, his girlfriend, Healani, introduced herself.    
  
“We’re not like, in any trouble, are we?” she asked nervously.    
  
“No, you’re not,” Sam reassured her again. “We don’t care how ridiculous you think it sounds, we just want to hear about what you saw last night.”    
  
She sighed. “Maybe it could have been my imagination, I don’t know. But all I know is Roy and I, we were… you know… and it was really cold, so we were gonna just head home. But then it started snowing, and we hung around a bit more, because it never snows out here you know? So we were sort of awed by it. It would have been magical, but then we saw that creature, and--”    
  
“Wait, you saw a creature?” Sam asked, cutting her off. “The papers said it was a figure, but it was implied it was a person.”    
  
Healani scoffed. “They just put that. I didn’t tell the police everything because I already felt like a crazy person just talking to them, but I told them it wasn’t human, whatever it was. It  _ looked _ sort of human. Almost. But it wasn’t.”    
  
“What do you mean?” Cas asked. Roy returned and placed a cup of coffee by each of them, and they thanked him in return.    
  
Healani crossed her arms, looking unsure, and Roy rubbed her shoulder. With another sigh, she continued. “I know how it sounds, but I know what I saw. It told them it was too far to see any details, but it danced or whatever it was doing right past us. It looked human, but the proportions were all wrong and like, its skin looked kind of frostbitten and purplish.”    
  
“This thing’s legs were like, insanely long,” Roy continued before they could ask. “Its arms, too. And even the fingers were long and sharp. I think the only reason we didn’t move is because we couldn’t. We were too scared. I thought for sure that this is it--you watch so many scary movies and you never think you’ll end up in that situation but then you do, and it’s terrifying. You think you’re going to die. You guys know what I mean?”    
  
They did in fact know what he meant, and exchanged brief knowing glances. “Your first mistake was making out behind a Denny’s at midnight,” Dean told them. “Nothing good’s gonna come from that, ever. You said this thing was dancing?”    
  
“Yeah. It was so bizarre,” Healani answered. “It was like… twirling, and leaping and stuff. It didn’t even seem to notice us. It just moved past us and went on its way. As soon as we got our minds back we took off, headed straight home and called the police.”    
  
“Could you tell us where you think it might have been headed?” Cas asked them.    
  
They both shook their heads. “It disappeared around the corner, and we went in the opposite direction to put as much distance as we could between it and ourselves,” Roy replied.    
  
“Well, thanks for you time,” Dean concluded the conversation and finishing his coffee. He handed them a business card. “Either of you see or learn anything else, you call that number and let us know.” Roy and Healani nodded.    
  
Outside their building, on their way back to Benny to fill him in on what they learned, Dean got a phone call from him telling them he had some new information as well. They hurried back, also eager to get out of the cold again, not really having packed anything really warm.   



	5. Monster's Holiday

Upon returning to Benny’s house, they exchanged information, and Benny told them that five new sightings had been reported of unusual events and sightings. A few people said they saw small bluish animals out of the corner of their eye. As for the events, one woman reported that several items of jewelry she had on her desk had vanished, but her broken leg had healed. A man said that shortly after he’d thought he’d seen one of the blue animals, he ran back outside to chase it off with a broomstick. Within moments, the broom was pulled from his hand and swung at him and chased him back into his house. A third incident had parents confiscating sweets their children claimed were given to them because they were left out on their windowsills, only to find that all the food in their house had rotted after throwing the sweets away.    
  
“This don’t make a lick of sense,” Benny said. “Are these things friendly or ain’t they?”    
  
Dean scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know. But if one of them attacked someone, that’s all we need to know they gotta go.”    
  
“Even if they hadn’t, they can’t stay here if they’re causing the cold weather and snow, or it’ll destroy the natural ecosystem of the island,” Cas explained.    
  
Sam was already looking up the possibilities of what they could be dealing with as they spoke, and it didn’t take long for him to find a suspect. “So I think what we’re dealing with might be fairies.”    
  
“Aw man, again?” Dean complained. “I mean, aren’t people who haven’t been to fairyland or wherever not supposed to be able to see them?”    
  
“Only if they don’t want to be seen,” Sam reminded him. “Which would explain why the guy didn’t see the fairy swinging his own broom at him.”    
  
“Ok but how does that explain any of the other things we’ve been hearing about?”    
  
“They must be favors,” Cas answered before Sam could. “Fairies are fickle and mischievous in their nature, and have their own set of rules and manners. I’m assuming they performed small favors in return for things they’d taken--such as healing, or finding a person’s lost object--and retaliated at any gifts that were turned down.”    
  
“Like the kids and their candy,” Benny figured.    
  
“Yes, exactly.”    
  
Dean groaned. “So now we gotta find which assclown summoned them, and clean up after their mess. On our vacation. Perfect.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.   
  
“Don’t get too down on yourself there, brother. I already know a place we can start,” Benny said, reaching over to pat Dean on his shoulder. He let his hand linger until Dean looked up at him, and then smiled as he pulled it back.    
  
“Where’s that?” Sam asked.    
  
“Well I paid attention to the location of each report, and after reading the latest, I think I’ve got a pattern. Each one took place not farther than a ten minute’s walk from that Denny’s those kids saw that creature outside of. So it stands to reason that it’s probably didn’t stray too far after it waltzed its way past them last night,” Benny explained. The others considered it for a few moments, before there was concessionary nodding all around.    
  
“Well then. I guess that means we know where we’re going for lunch,” Dean stated.    
  
On the way to the Denny’s, they kept an eye out for any signs of the fairies, but the trip was uneventful. They sat down at the restaurant and made their orders, watching quietly out the window in hopes of spotting some lead. It wasn’t until their meals arrived and were just about finished when Dean noticed something dash across the street. “Hey guys, I think we got something,” he said, taking care not to look away. The others turned to look where he was pointing out the window. “There, across the street, I thought I saw something run past.”    
  
Leaving some cash on the table for their bills, they left the Denny’s as quickly as they could and headed to where Dean had spotted the fairy, but it was nowhere to be found. They decided to search the surrounding area. It took some time, but eventually Dean spotted another a little ways away. The four of them followed his lead as he stalked closer to it. It was busying itself digging around the pockets of someone sitting on a bench, but it glanced up and spotted them approaching. At first it didn’t move, watching them with caution, its hand frozen inside the person’s jacket pocket. As they drew closer, however, it realized they could see it and it took off.    
  
“Damn it!” Dean shouted in frustration.    
  
“You lost it?” Sam asked.    
  
“They’re too fast. It saw us coming and ran.”    
  
“It sounds like we need a plan to either keep up with them or make sure they don’t spot us,” Benny suggested. “Or both.”    
  
“We could set a trap, maybe. Leave out a bowl of cream or something,” Sam suggested. “Even if it notices us, it shouldn’t be too hard to catch or follow if it’s drunk.”    
  
They considered the idea a moment before Cas spoke up. “I agree. It would be easier. We can find out how they arrived and for what purpose. Ideally, we can ask them to leave,” he said.    
  
Dean laughed. “I have a feeling it’s not gonna go that smoothly Cas. But let’s hope.” Still, it was nice to have a plan to work with. Benny told them he had some coffee creamer at his house, so they headed back there to figure out the details and get things ready. It probably wasn’t impossible that the fairies would listen to reason and might be willing to leave if asked, but previous experience didn’t show that to be very likely. If it came down to a fight, they needed to be prepared for that, too. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [spncoldesthits](http://spncoldesthits.tumblr.com/post/168440742063/spncoldesthits-mayalaen-under-the-missile), of course. I was really hoping to finish it before posting, but it looks like I'll have to finish it after. This is going to stay a T-rated fic, by the way. But I couldn't resist having something like "Cas in Denny in Denny's" so I have no idea how I'm gonna write that but we'll get there when we get there. Also, those [mermen](http://www.decemberdiamonds.com/Scripts/PublicSite/index.php?template=ShowCatPublic&cat=424600) and [mermaid](https://www.diamondsofthesea.com/holiday-decor/december-diamonds/mermaid-ornaments/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA38jRBRCQARIsACEqIetgezMdfwSLUQpsMy9OtFOb1Rox746b4ML3pupBABUjvajcqI7jAMsaApE5EALw_wcB) ornaments are 100% real.


End file.
